52 Weeks of Happiness... Late.

Just a reminder, I do have a facebook page for my blog! For any updates, head on over and like!

I had planned on editing my short post last night with my 4 happys, but instead I went to bed. Or tried to, at least. So here they are, late's better than never:

1. Hung out with a friend 
2. Made a real dinner for once
3. Found like 5 new blogs to follow
4. Found the Squid Pillow. 

The squid pillow is happening. I don't know when, I don't know how, but he is going to be made in the future. Hopefully the near future!

Today I want to talk about donating Blood Plasma. For those of you who don't know how you donate JUST blood plasma, instead of whole blood, you get a needle stabbed into your vein in the crook of your arm, a machine starts taking blood out, and puts it in a bowl where it's spun around at about 2000 RPMs a minute I think. This separates the red blood cells from the plasma, and the plasma goes into a bottle. Then the machine returns the red cells to you, through the same needle.

There may not be a Biomat in your town, but there is one in mine and that's how I make my money. Yes. You donate 2x a week and get paid. It's not just doing a good thing anymore... but it's how they get lots of people to do it, therefore getting plenty of plasma for the people who need it.

Most biomats will give you a debit card these days. Mine only recently switched to the card from cold hard cash, but apparently it was one of the last biomats who was giving out cash. It's really annoying, as I have to be able to put money into my REAL bank account, so, I have to go to the ATM in 7-11 in order to get my money out for free, because the card they give you has a ton of restrictions and fees unless you do things their way, including taking out money from specific ATMs. Of course, I have to get a slurpee as well!

You can't just walk in and donate plasma, either. You have to be screened, in which you are tested for iron, protein, asked a bunch of questions pertaining to diseases you may have been in contact with, have your blood pressure and pulse and temperature taken, and when you first start donating, and once a year after that, you have to do a physical. You can't have had any tattoos or piercings in the last year, or have had tattoos revised or any REpiercings. You have to drink enough water, you can't smoke before or after, shouldn't drink alcohol or energy drinks the day of, etc etc. Most people try not to follow the rules, but you might end up permanently deferred from the donating list. I personally go through cycles of having too high a temperature (even though when I check before and after going with 2 different thermometers, they say I'm fine) and then I can't donate, or my iron is too low regardless of the fact that I have been eating steak almost constantly for 2 WEEKS. STRAIGHT. I take expensive vitamins to try to keep my iron and calcium up, and that doesn't work half the time. Ugh.

So, donating blood plasma, if doing it for a good cause, is very rewarding. If you do it ONLY for the money and have never even thought about the fact that you're donating bodily fluids for people in need, it's very frustrating. There's a long wait right now as well, because they're short on staff. Of course, I would LOVE to work there instead of sitting around with a needle in my arm, but I have to stop donating for 6 months in order to apply there, and there's no guarantee that I will get the job. They even train you and you don't need any experience. I did apply anyways but they sent me an email saying they couldn't hire me because I've been donating. Blah, company policy...